Sen Mitch McConnell announces he will not run for re-election

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will not run for re-election in 2026 and will instead retire, the longtime senator announced Thursday.

McConnell has served in the Senate for decades, including as Senate majority leader under President Donald Trump’s first administration. McConnell is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, and he announced his retirement on his 83rd birthday.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in prepared remarks to the Senate floor. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

McConnell was first elected in 1984, and he plans to serve out the rest of his term ending in January 2027.

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Sen. Mitch McConnell will retire from the Senate at the end of his current term. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The announcement comes after a series of health scares for McConnell, who froze up during statements to the public on multiple occasions.

His office never provided an explanation for the episodes.

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Most recently, McConnell fell while exiting the Senate chamber earlier this month. He also fell during a GOP lunch in December.

McConnell was replaced as Republican leader in the Senate by Sen. John Thune. (Reuters)

McConnell’s announcement comes roughly a year after he ceded his role as Republican leader in the Senate, ultimately to be replaced by Sen. John Thune, R-SD.

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“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in floor remarks at the time. “So I stand before you today… to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report